


The One Who Can

by wintercreek



Category: Glee
Genre: Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-23
Updated: 2011-09-23
Packaged: 2017-10-23 23:33:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/256327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintercreek/pseuds/wintercreek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Here's the thing about Kurt: he is far, far too good at hiding his hurts. Blaine knows this, after a year of seeing Kurt draw himself up into something stiff and cool when a thoughtless comment strikes him. He knows, too, that sometimes Kurt's perfect posture has hidden the ache of bruised muscles from locker-impacts. Kurt would always rather suffer through whatever situation he's in and retreat to lick his wounds in private, even when those wounds are something perfectly understandable like a twisted ankle during dance practice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One Who Can

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Waldo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waldo/gifts).



> Title and song lyrics quoted herein from Adele's "One and Only."

Here's the thing about Kurt: he is far, far too good at hiding his hurts. Blaine knows this, after a year of seeing Kurt draw himself up into something stiff and cool when a thoughtless comment strikes him. He knows, too, that sometimes Kurt's perfect posture has hidden the ache of bruised muscles from locker-impacts. Kurt would always rather suffer through whatever situation he's in and retreat to lick his wounds in private, even when those wounds are something perfectly understandable like a twisted ankle during dance practice.

Thank goodness he doesn't hide things from Blaine, at least. Blaine's watching when he goes down awkwardly after dodging Finn's arm, and Blaine catches the tiny wince on Kurt's face as he gets to his feet again. There are only ten minutes left of practice, and Mr. Schue's about to switch to working on the girls' parts anyway, so Blaine doesn't bother trying to draw attention to Kurt's fall. He slips to Kurt's side after they run their moves one last time and puts an arm around Kurt's waist, careful to look like a besotted boyfriend rather than a concerned one. Kurt gives him a small smile.

"Mr. Schue? Do you think Kurt and I could be excused? We need to get somewhere, and I'm worried about traffic." Blaine makes his most earnest face and lets his relief show when Mr. Schuester absently waves them off. He scoops up both their satchels with his free hand, glad that neither of them carries a backpack, and tugs Kurt off the stage and into the back hall.

"I can walk, you know," Kurt says.

Blaine raises an eyebrow. "Okay." He watches as Kurt takes two steps before his left ankle rolls to the side and he stumbles. Blaine swoops in to catch him, arm around Kurt's waist again, and this time Kurt drapes his arm over Blaine's shoulders. He leans heavily on Blaine as they make their slow way out to the car.

"Home?" Blaine asks.

Kurt nods. "Carole stocks our first-aid kit pretty well – we should have a wrap, and I know there are ice packs in the freezer." The strain leaves his face as Kurt settles into the passenger seat of Blaine's car. He looks up at Blaine, still standing there with two satchels over one shoulder. "What?"

"I— I was just thinking about— Hang on." Blaine tosses their bags in the backseat, shuts the doors and circles the car to get in. He drives off campus and halfway to Kurt's house without speaking. Kurt's singing along with the radio, giving Blaine space for his thoughts. Maybe, Blaine thinks, the gaps in their facades go both ways.

 _"I dare you to let me be your, your one and only,"_ Kurt sings.

Blaine turns to look at him, just briefly while they're paused at a stop sign. Kurt's mouth is quirked a half-smile, gazing out the window. Blaine joins in the song as the instrumental bridge finishes and it winds into _"I know it ain't easy, giving up your heart."_

Kurt flashes him a sudden, brilliant grin. _"Nobody's perfect. Trust me, I've learned it,"_ he sings over Blaine.

They pull into the Hummel-Hudson driveway as the song finishes. Blaine sets the parking break carefully, never wanting Mr. Hummel to have any reason to think him careless with his car, and dashes around to Kurt's side. Kurt doesn't argue, leaning his weight on Blaine again until he's resting on the couch.

Blaine fetches two ice packs and dishtowels for Kurt, grabs all the throw pillows to make a pile that cradles and elevates and holds the ice to Kurt's swollen ankle. "Twenty minutes of ice, and then I'll help you wrap it," Blaine says. "Do you want ibuprofen? Or—"

"Blaine. Sit down," Kurt says. "This isn't my first twisted ankle."

"Yeah, but it _is_ your first twisted ankle with a boyfriend," Blaine answers, sitting on the floor. He leans against the couch, his head on the side of the armrest just below the level of Kurt's where it rests on a pillow. Tilting his face up brings Kurt into view, almost too close to focus on. "I want to take care of you. Let me?"

Kurt sighs. "Of course. I'm not very good at being taken care of, I warn you."

Blaine huffs out a laugh. "You think I don't know that already?"

"What were you going to say in the car?" Kurt asks quietly.

Rolling his shoulders back, Blaine turns to face the room. "I was going to say that I like when you let me see you hurting." He cringes. "Oh God, that came out wrong. I don't like seeing you in pain, Kurt, you have to know that. I mean that I like that you trust me. That you don't keep up a brave face around me."

"Hey," Kurt breaks in. "I know what you mean. It's— It's the same for me." His hand finds Blaine's hair; the angle must be incredibly awkward.

Blaine gives into the urge to sit forward and turn to see Kurt. "I appreciate the thought, but you don't have to go all T-rex arms for me."

Kurt looks blankly at him.

"You know," Blaine says, holding his arms tight to his torso and moving them only from the elbow. "Rarr. T-rex arms."

"You are ridiculous," Kurt splutters. "If you don't want me to be a dinosaur, scoot a little further down the couch so I can reach you comfortably."

Blaine does, placing himself far enough over that Kurt's hand rests easily on his head. They stay that way until Kurt's twenty minutes of icing are up. Blaine stands and lifts the ice packs away as gently as he can. He's about to go put them back in the freezer when Kurt stops him with a hand on his wrist.

"Thank you," Kurt says. "For taking care of me."

"I love you." Blaine bends to kiss Kurt. "What else could I do?"

Kurt shrugs one shoulder. "You could have not noticed, like everyone else."

"Never," Blaine says, surprised to hear how fierce his voice is. "I could never not notice you."

"No," Kurt agrees softly. "You've always seen me, haven't you."

"I always will," Blaine promises. He feels like he's promising something bigger than ice packs and unobtrusive support, but then everything about their relationship is more solid than he'd ever been told he could feel this young. "I'll be right back," he says, and hurries to find ibuprofen and the compression wrap.

When he's done fussing over Kurt's ankle and convincing him to take the pain medication, Blaine gets Kurt to sit up and slide down the couch so that when he's lying down again his head is in Blaine's lap. "You want to watch _What Not to Wear_ and argue with the TV?" he asks as Kurt settles.

"No," Kurt says. "I, um. Can you play with my hair?"

Blaine takes a deep breath, lets it out as he grins down at Kurt. "Sure." He weaves his fingers carefully through Kurt's silky hair, amazed as always at how good it feels. His other hand he rests on Kurt's forehead, massaging his temples.

"Mmmm," Kurt hums. "That's perfect. And I'm not even regretting asking you to destroy my styling." His eyes fall shut and he murmurs, "Must be love."

"Must be," Blaine echoes, thinking of all their walls that disappear at a touch, or a look, or a word. It must be love.


End file.
